German academia 'vetting' views critical of Israel

Ghassan Hagem, a Lebanese-Australian academic, says he risks losing an academic prize due to his views on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

In a series of tweets, Hagem explained that German academics were vetting his political views before deciding whether to award him the prize.

Germany has cracked down on Palestinian activism in recent weeks, with bookfairs cancelling events for Palestinian authors and the government threatening to deport those deemed to be critical of Israel.

I’ve been nominated for a German scholarship/prize. A lot of work has gone into demonstrating my intellectual worthiness. Last week my nominators were asked to make a statement not about my intellectual worthiness but about my ‘BDS sympathies’. This week the scholarship/prize
— Ghassan Hage (@anthroprofhage) November 8, 2023